お前
Japanese
editEtymology 1
editKanji in this term |
---|
前 |
まえ Grade: 2 |
kun'yomi |
Alternative spelling |
---|
御前 |
From 御 (o, honorific prefix) + 前 (mae, "front”), literally "honourable presence in front of me". Originally a polite pronoun applied to highly respected persons such as emperors or gods.[1][2]
First attested in the early 900s.[1]
Alternative forms
edit- (standard Japanese)
- (informal) おめえ (omē)
- (dialect)
Pronunciation
editPronoun
edit- [from early 900s] (informal, men's speech; or dialect) you
- 1915, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, 羅生門 [Rashōmon]:
- 己は檢非違使の廳の役人などではない。今し方この門の下を通りかゝつた旅の者だ。だからお前に繩をかけて、どうしようと云ふやうな事はない。
- Ore wa kebiishi no chō no yakunin nado de wa nai. Imashigata kono mon no shita o tōrikakatta tabi no mono da. Dakara omae ni nawa o kakete, dō shiyō to iu yō na koto wa nai.
- I am not an official of law enforcement, but simply a traveller who's happened to come across this gate a few moments ago. I'm not here to bind you in ropes or any nonsense of the sort.
- 己は檢非違使の廳の役人などではない。今し方この門の下を通りかゝつた旅の者だ。だからお前に繩をかけて、どうしようと云ふやうな事はない。
Usage notes
edit- Slightly condescending if used by a higher status peer to refer to a lower status peer, very informal between close equal-status peers; (very) impolite in other situations.
- In many Japanese dialects, it is rather the standard 2nd-person pronoun, equivalent in usage to standard Japanese あなた (anata).
Derived terms
edit- お前さん (omaesan)
Etymology 2
editKanji in this term |
---|
前 |
めえ Grade: 2 |
irregular |
/omae/ → /omeː/
Corruption of お前 (omae). First attested in 1777.[1]
Pronunciation
editPronoun
editReferences
editKategorien:
- Japanese terms spelled with 前 read as まえ
- Japanese terms read with kun'yomi
- Japanese compound terms
- Japanese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Japanese lemmas
- Japanese pronouns
- Japanese terms with multiple readings
- Japanese terms spelled with second grade kanji
- Japanese terms with 1 kanji
- Japanese informal terms
- Japanese men's speech terms
- Japanese dialectal terms
- Japanese terms with usage examples
- Japanese terms spelled with 前
- Japanese terms read with irregular kanji readings
- Edo Japanese
- Tōhoku Japanese
- Japanese terms prefixed with 御